Diver missing off coast

Published: Sunday, June 16, 2013 at 11:02 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, June 17, 2013 at 10:52 a.m.

A spear fisherman from Prairieville has been missing since Saturday morning, when fellow divers last saw him struggling with an undertow, authorities and family members said.

Tim Raines, 56, was diving with a group of friends about 55 miles off Grand Isle when an undertow from a nearby offshore rig washed him about 40 feet behind the boat, according to Coast Guard officials.

Raines went under water again while swimming toward the boat, officials said.

“His friends saw him go under, but they never saw if he came back up,” said Rene Ragas, Raines’ son-in-law.

The Coast Guard deployed helicopters, boats and an airplane, which searched Saturday and Sunday. The search will continue today, a Coast Guard spokesman said.

Raines is married to Dana Raines. They have a son and daughter; their third child is deceased, volunteer searchers said.

Volunteers with the Blake Terry Memorial Foundation, a recovery and support foundation that performs rescue dives, were among those searching, said foundation President Cindie Roussel. They had three boats and divers searching above and below water for signs of Raines, who they say was wearing diving weights.

Foundation volunteers ended their search Sunday, saying they don’t have the resources to continue.

The foundation is named after Blake Terry, 27, a mechanic and avid outdoorsman from Thibodaux who was presumed drowned in August 2011 in the Gulf of Mexico about 75 miles southwest of Southwest Pass, family and authorities said.

Like Raines, Terry had been spear fishing near the base of an offshore rig when he failed to resurface.

The Coast Guard search was called off after about 24 hours, and Terry’s body was never recovered.

<p>A spear fisherman from Prairieville has been missing since Saturday morning, when fellow divers last saw him struggling with an undertow, authorities and family members said.</p><p>Tim Raines, 56, was diving with a group of friends about 55 miles off Grand Isle when an undertow from a nearby offshore rig washed him about 40 feet behind the boat, according to Coast Guard officials.</p><p>Raines went under water again while swimming toward the boat, officials said.</p><p>“His friends saw him go under, but they never saw if he came back up,” said Rene Ragas, Raines' son-in-law.</p><p>The Coast Guard deployed helicopters, boats and an airplane, which searched Saturday and Sunday. The search will continue today, a Coast Guard spokesman said.</p><p>Raines is married to Dana Raines. They have a son and daughter; their third child is deceased, volunteer searchers said.</p><p>Volunteers with the Blake Terry Memorial Foundation, a recovery and support foundation that performs rescue dives, were among those searching, said foundation President Cindie Roussel. They had three boats and divers searching above and below water for signs of Raines, who they say was wearing diving weights.</p><p>Foundation volunteers ended their search Sunday, saying they don't have the resources to continue.</p><p>The foundation is named after Blake Terry, 27, a mechanic and avid outdoorsman from Thibodaux who was presumed drowned in August 2011 in the Gulf of Mexico about 75 miles southwest of Southwest Pass, family and authorities said.</p><p>Like Raines, Terry had been spear fishing near the base of an offshore rig when he failed to resurface.</p><p>The Coast Guard search was called off after about 24 hours, and Terry's body was never recovered.</p>